Septic tank effluent filtering method

A method of treating wastewater, comprising:

• (a) flowing wastewater having a concentration of waste solids into a wastewater collection container and allowing said solids to distribute into a lower horizontal sludge layer and an upper horizontal scum layer with a horizontal layer of liquid therebetween;
• (b) immersing a filter, having multiple filtering surfaces forming multiple enclosures, in said wastewater within said container;
• (c) surrounding said filter with a housing within said container, said housing having an interior surface, and exposing the interior surface of said housing to said horizontal layer of liquid through a plurality of apertures in said housing;
• (d) flowing liquid from said horizontal layer through said apertures in said housing and thereafter flowing said liquid from one side of said filter to an opposite side thereof in parallel through said multiple filtering surfaces and through said multiple enclosures;
• (e) during step (d), separating the liquid within each of said enclosures from the liquid within the others of said enclosures by separating said enclosures from one another by means of said filtering surfaces;
• and
• (f) thereafter flowing said liquid to a liquid effluent outlet.